Dental plate.



B. TBLLE. DENTAL PLATE. AIiPLIOATIOIi FILED JUIE 24, 190B.

THE Nomus PETERS co, vusuma'rom-mc.

Patanted Jan. 5, 1909.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN Tanner NEW oaraaus, LOUISIANA.

ar e Hera- Specification of Letters rat nt.

reteste J P .9 99-; 7

Original application filed March 26, 1908 Serial No. 423,341. Dividedand this applicatiqn filed June 24, 1908.

Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN TELLn, a citizen of the United States,residing at New Orleans, in the parish of Orleans and State ofLouisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in DentalPlates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in dental plates, and it consistsprimarily in providing a thin and more or less flexible plate proper,which is fitted to the shape of the mouth of the prospective wearer, andto which the teeth are si bsequently attached, after the fittingreferred to, Q S will be hereinafter more fully described.

This application is a division of my application for the hereindescribedmethod, filed March 26, 1908, Serial No. 423,841, entitled Dental platesand methods of manufacturing same, allowed June 8,1908.

My invention will be understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which the same parts are indicated by the same lettersthroughout the severalviews.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a plate adapted to carry a full set ofteeth, parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a detail showing a portion ofthe plate before the teeth are attached. Fig. 3 is a sectional view ofthe wax pattern carrying the teeth. Fig. 4 is a sectional view showingthe segment carrying the teeth before it is attached to the plateproper. Fig. 5 is a sectional view showing the teeth segment attached tothe plate, and the whole ready for use.

A represents the plate proper, which is preferably made of thin flexiblecelluloid or other suitable material, which plate is fitted to the mouthof the wearer, before the segment carrying the teeth is connectedthereto.

In the device shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 5, the plate A. is provided with adiaphragm a, fitted snugly to the roof of the mouth, and provided withcorrugations a to fit protrusions in the mouth with flange a to go overthe side of the gums, and with the recess a to fit loosely over thegums, and the said diaphragm a fitting snugly up against the wall of themouth as above stated. A suction chamber a may or may not be providedand frequently such chamber will not be needed. The plate is preferablyconstructed in the following manner Q A good east of the mouth isobtained, a goodcellul oid plate is made in any well known nd suitablemanner, which has, when fitted in position, a slight clearance over thevarious bumps, ridges or other projections in the mouth and thus notonly insures a comfortable fit, but also prov des such a close fit,except over the bumps or ridges aforesaid, as to do away the necessityin many instances of a suct on chamber, such as shown in a" Fig. 1 "Infact the clearance over the bumps or ridges will in effect constitute aseries of suction chambers. It will be noted that the celluloid plateso'formed is thin and more or less elastic, and can be more readily andaccurately adjusted to the month before the teeth are applied to theplate than afterwards. The plate being so formed,trimmed, and adjustedto the mouth the segment of segments bearing the teeth are prepared andapplied, as will'now be described.

Where a full set of teeth are to be sup.- plied, it will be moreconvenient to make the teeth segment as a single piece to be af terwardsfitted to the v united thereto, as will e hereinafter described; whilewhere scattered teeth are to be used, it would be preferable toconstruct a plurality of teeth segments, each segment to be fitted tothe plate separately and to be united thereto, as will be hereinafterdescribed. Similarly also new teeth segments maybe added to an otherwisealready manufactured plate.

In order to construct a tooth segment, the teeth are mounted in waxinlaid with tin foil, as shown in Fig. 3, where G represents the tooth,E represents the wax, and F represents the tin foil. This wax with thetin foil is snugly fitted to the plate, and the arrangement of the teethis provided for in the well-known way known to dentists as getting thebite. This is done by attaching wax or other suitable plastic materialto the plate A, which is put in the patients mouth, and an impression ofthe opposite teeth is secured. The reproduction of the print secured bythis impress, together with the plate, are put in an articulator, thewax is removed from the plate after it has been adjusted in thearticulator, and the teeth are then fitted to the plate in the usualway,

late proper, and

with Wax mounted on tin foil, to prevent adhesion. The teeth so fittedare removed from the plate and put in a flask, the wax is boiled out,and celluloid is substituted therefor, under heat and pressure, asbefore stated. The completed tooth segment is shown in section, in Fig.4, Where G represents one of the teeth, and B represents the celluloidholding the teeth. There is thus formed a segment bearing. the teeth,which is to be attached to the plate proper, as will be hereinafterdescribed. The teeth on this segment are finished up, and the celluloidsurface at their base fits snugly against the outer surface of theplate, and the two are cemented together by using a solution ofcelluloid, which dissolves the faces of the walls of the plate and toothsegment. This dissolved section on solidifying again, forms a weld, sothat the two become in effect an integral structure, as shown in Fig. 5.

It will be obvious that two or more segments can be applied to the sameplate at the same time or at dilferent times, and thus the plate alreadymade may have additional tooth segments attached to provide for changes,owing to subsequent loss or breaking of teeth, in the mouth of thewearer. Thus it is possible to prepare additional teeth to be afiixed toan old plate, or a plain segment to natural teeth requiring it; and toaccurately apply the same without necessitating the surrendering of theplate by the wearer for more than a few minutes at a time.

By making the plate proper thin and more or less flexible, withclearance over the bumps or ridges of the mouth, it is possible to get avery close, snug, and at the same time comfortable fit, and the platebeing so thin, takes up very little room in the mouth;

while the celluloid being tough and flexible, does not tend to crack orbreak oflt like the vulcanized rubber plates, which are so much in use.

While I have described celluloid as the preferable material for use inthe manufacture of the plate and tooth segments, for

reasons already stated, it will be obvious that any other suitablematerial may be adopted, and any other suitable cement for joining thetwo parts together may be used if desired.

It will be obvious that the process of forming and adjusting the plateand the toothsegment or segments may be varied in many ways, accordingto the skill of and the facilities available to the operator.

The hereindescribed method of fitting the plate to and securing it inthe mouth is especially suited for what are technically known asdifficult mouths, which as a rule may be comfortably and accuratelyfitted, as hereinbefore described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is

A dental plate comprising a thin plate portion of tough elastic materialfitted to the mouth of the patient, and a tooth segment of similarmaterial carrying one or more teeth and cemented to the plate portion bymeans of a vaporizable solvent for the adjacent parts, whereby the twoare welded together after the solvent has dried out, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

- EDWIN TELLE.

WVitnesses:

B. Y. lVoLF, R0131. P. UPTON.

